Summer blooms - Amaltas

Amaltas trees line roadsides. Their fallen flowers line pavements, drains and walls, giving a gay yellow outline to grey concrete and tar.

Amaltas blooms yellowSet against the blue sky and parched earth. A brilliant Amaltas is enough to brighten the heart. It’s cascading yellow blossoms visited by bees, wasps and butterflies vibrate with joi de vivre.

An eminent late artist H.L. Merh found the Amaltas and an equally spirited Gulmohar to be an artist’s delight. He is no more, but an animated Amaltas in oil on canvas still greets you at his doorstep.

Amaltas is best appreciated by children, especially those who live on roadsides and share their abode with this abundant tree sending sun-coloured petals right inseide their dark shelters called home.

The more fortunate children discover them in colony parks and go about gathering fallen flowers for the sake of being involved with them. Efforts to climb the tawny trunk yield bunches of florid glory which lighten their hearts with a joy that is experiential.

As the Amaltas trees line roadsides, their fallen flowers line pavements, drains and walls, giving a gay yellow outline to grey concrete and tar. Its fruit pod green or brown translate into swords for young warriors in the vicinity!

In his books Ruskin Bond talks about his longing for the jolly sight of Amlatas, Gulmohar and Jacaranda while he was abroad. This strengthened his determination to come back home to India as soon as he made enough money for the ticket back. The Amaltas adds many a mellow moment to a casual onlooker’s perceptions in this big beautiful world!

God bless whoever had the brilliant idea of introducing these flambuoyant visual delights to our urban life. Just go out and take a peep. You may be inspired to write a few dreamy lines yourself. Cheerio!

Amaltas tree in bloom India

 

Anisha Sharma
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it is an exotic painting of the gulmohar in oil on canvas which welcomes you at the doorstep of late Prof. HL Merh's doorstep. The Amaltas grows near the gate, live blooms!

anusha on Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Delightful read... My favourite blossom...reminds of pitamber against blue sky reminding of Meghvaran...so sweet scent smelling like his blessings...radhe radhe.

anita on Friday, August 8, 2008


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